Who was Ann Leah Fish, and how did she promote the Fox sisters?

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Houdini poster for an anti-Spiritualism show — Spiritualism A Harry Houdini poster promoting a theatrical performance to discredit Spiritualism.

Ann Leah Fish was the elder sister of Margaret and Catherine Fox, the American mediums whose activities helped launch the 19th-century spiritualism movement.1

Recognizing the potential of her sisters' newfound fame following the mysterious "rappings" at their family home in Hydesville, New York, Fish took a central role in managing their careers. She brought Margaret and Catherine to her home in Rochester, New York, where she began organizing and promoting regular public demonstrations of their alleged mediumistic gifts.1

Through her management, Fish helped formalize the "Rochester rappings," establishing a code that allowed for supposed communication with spirits. She subsequently moved the sisters to New York City in 1850, where they began conducting highly lucrative séances that attracted significant attention from prominent figures of the era, including Horace Greeley.1